Deuce Wallace leads Riverside from slow start into playoffs

Freshman Deuce Wallace has helped lead his team into the playoffs (Andrew Valenti, NOLA.com l The Times-Picayune)

Riverside Coach Bill Stubbs knows the challenges of building and maintaining a football program. But having good players makes that task a lot less challenging.

Riverside endured some early growing pains with its young team and started the year off 0-4, but led by quarterback Deuce Wallace, the No. 25 Rebels won four of their last five games and find themselves matched up agianst No. 8 Homer in the Class 2A playoffs Friday at 7 p.m.

Stubbs said he has some really good young players but felt the slow start was because they had to grow up.

“There’s been a lot of maturity and growth since the beginning of the year,” Stubbs said. “They’ve weathered the storm of Coach Stubbs and understand what I expect of them. But I really feel that my players have taken ownership of their program.”

Wallace's rapid maturation has been the main catalyst for the Rebels resurgence. Only a freshman, the 6-foot-1 signal caller passed for 1,868 yards and 20 touchdowns with only eight interceptions this season. In Riverside’s 48-44 win over Newman two weeks ago, Wallace passed for 352 yards and four touchdowns.

“(Wallace) is one of the best quarterbacks I’ve had as a freshman,” Stubbs said. “He has some really good tools, and he is the prototype quarterback. His ability to read defenses and put the ball where it needs to be is the best that I’ve seen as a freshman and allows the skill position players to make something happen after the catch.”

One of these players is wide receiver/defensive back Herb McGee. The freshman is one of Wallace’s favorite targets, and he said having someone like Wallace at quarterback makes his job a lot easier.

“(Wallace) has really good touch on the ball,” McGee said. "He puts the ball in a perfect place, so I can run with it after and make things happen.”

When Stubbs first approached Wallace about the starting quarterback position, Wallace said he knew what he had to do to help his team.

“It was definitely a surprise,” Wallace said. “I’m just trying to help my team win. It was a lot of pressure at first, but I knew we had to come together as a team and just try to win ball games.”

Wallace credited the trust in the players around him and Stubbs as the main reasons for his early success. He also believes his uncle, Timmy Byrd, Riverside's athletic director, helped his development as a football player and as a person. Byrd is a River Parishes legend and former LSU quarterback.

“(Byrd) has helped me with my drops and my throws and everything else about quarterbacking,” Wallace said. “I’m just trying to carry on what he did at East St. John and LSU, and it’s great having him as an uncle.”

Stubbs directed Salmen to three Class 4A state championships and a record of 143-40 in 15 seasons. This is the first time in Stubbs’ coaching career where he has had to rebuild a program.

“One of the challenges here is getting the kids to buy in to my version and my brand of football,” Stubbs said. “I had the opportunity to do this over a period of time, and I draw from the good things I did at Salmen and just try to replicate that over here. I’m a very impatient person, but I feel that we are getting closer to where we need to be as a football team. One of the main things that I’ve learned this year is how to be patient.”

Stubbs said he wants to build a program that can compete for state championships every year, similar to John Curtis. Having talented, young players like Wallace will only help speed up that process.

“You have to make sure the kids understand the work that goes into this year around,” Stubbs said. “Now the players are starting to buy in and build the tools to help them be successful on Friday nights.”